The 88th running of the historic Prince of Wales Stakes has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 12, at Fort Erie, with a tentative post time of 3 p.m. for the border oval’s marquee card.
The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile dirt route for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, is the middle leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. It follows the $1 million King’s Plate on Aug. 20 and proceeds the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes in October, both at Woodbine.
Brad Cox is starting to seem like the Bob Baffert of the Midwest. Baffert for years, and in 2022-23 especially, has a barn brimming with young stakes-class dirt horses, and right now, Cox’s strings also are bulging with 3-year-old prospects.
There Goes Harvard, the winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita last May, is nearing a comeback after recovering from an illness diagnosed last summer.
Trained by Michael McCarthy for Michael and Jennifer Cannon, There Goes Harvard has not raced since he finished last of nine in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar last July.
“He was really sick after the San Diego,” McCarthy said.
Last January, Stilleto Boy was a 26-1 outsider when he finished third behind 4-5 favorite Life Is Good and 9-10 second choice Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park.
On Jan. 28, Stilleto Boy is scheduled to start again in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup. This year, the 5-year-old Stilleto Boy has had a different preparation schedule.
Stilleto Boy has had only one start in the last four months, finishing second to Country Grammer in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. -- King Angelo and Awesome Native, older New York-bred males, posted impressive wins on back-to-back days for trainer Jorge Abreu, who enjoyed a run of five winners from seven starts at Aqueduct over the last month.
On Friday, the 6-year-old King Angelo won a first-level open allowance by 5 3/4 lengths, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. It was the second straight solid run from King Angelo since Abreu moved him to the dirt from turf.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. -- Just eight days after finishing second in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, Arctic Arrogance returned to the work tab Sunday morning at Belmont Park, breezing a half-mile in 50.47 seconds in preparation for a start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes on Feb. 4.
Trainer Linda Rice said she worked Arctic Arrogance so soon after his last race because he’s been a difficult horse to keep weight off and that he missed a workout leading up to the Jerome, something Rice felt may have hampered him in the race.
Empire of Gold, an earner of more than $500,000, won his first stakes race Jan. 7 in the Sam’s Town at Delta Downs. It was a deserving milestone for the talented horse, who in 2020 ran second in the Grade 2 Phoenix a Keeneland and fourth in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
“Finally,” said co-owner and trainer Terry Eoff. “Everyone always asks, ‘How has he earned that much money?’ A lot of seconds.”
Tyler’s Tribe, who last year at 2 won five of seven starts, is scheduled to return to Oaklawn next week after getting some time off at the farm of his co-owner and trainer, Tim Martin.
Tyler’s Tribe won his first five starts by nearly 60 lengths before bleeding in both the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, in which he finished 12th, and the Advent at Oaklawn, in which he finished third Dec. 9.
“He’s had a month of 'R and R' and therapy,” Martin said. “The therapy is supposed to be helping. I think he’ll be okay.”
The field for the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park is beginning to take shape two weeks out from the main event, with one leading contender putting in a notable work on Saturday at Fair Grounds and another being ruled out of consideration from the race the same morning at Sam Houston Race Park.
The Southwest is a Kentucky Derby points race to be run over 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 28.
Jason Egan has been named director of racing and racing secretary at Santa Anita, effective Jan. 27, the track announced Saturday.
Egan will replace Chris Merz, who has accepted an executive position at Canterbury Park in Minnesota, according to sources. Merz has been director of racing at Santa Anita since February 2020.
The change in leadership comes less than a month after the start of the track’s winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26. The track is hosting the Breeders’ Cup races in November.
